Page:Madras Journal of Literature and Science, series 1, volume 6 (1837).djvu/193

1837.] bestowed, whether by individuals or government, to introduce better kinds of cotton from abroad, is ill spent, because, owing to a late rise in price, the common dirty bazar cotton now brings in the English market nearly as high a price as the Upland American does, and a more remunerating price to the grower and merchant than the finer and cleaner sorts, whether indigenous or imported; and, lastly, that, generally, it is an absolute loss to cultivate the introduced varieties, first, as being all derived from one species, they are exceedingly apt to degenerate when brought among us; and, secondly, because, being exotics, their culture is so much more expensive than the indigenous ones, that, even where they succeed best, they never repay the extra cost and care required in their culture.

The answer to the first of these propositions, namely, the late rise of price of even inferior cotton, is plain and strongly urged by Mr. Bell, namely, that it originates in excessive demand, arising from the very unexpected and unforeseen circumstance of America being unable to supply good clean cotton, equal to the demands of the English consumption; and, therefore, to keep their machinery at work, the English manufacturers manage to work with dirty bad cotton, but will, as a matter of course, save themselves the trouble by rejecting bad Indian, so soon as they can get sufficient supplies of good clean American: it is, therefore, we think, a most dangerous argument to urge, that, because Indian cottons at 5d. per pound will give an ample profit to the growers, therefore we have no reason to fear "what some please to term competition with America," for even a moderate check to consumption, with an overstocked market, produces a depression out of all proportion to the check; so that a few millions pounds extra of American cotton, thrown suddenly on the English market, might be productive of the greatest loss and inconvenience to the Indian growers and merchants, how much more so if the supply could be rendered permanently equal to the demand. The way to prevent such accidents is to raise, by care and attention in their culture, our Indian staples to an equality in all respects with the American. That such may, nay, that such will, be produced, we feel quite certain, if not in Bombay, the soil and climate of which seems peculiarly averse to the introduction of foreign sorts, at least in other parts of India. In many parts of Bengal the most promising results are expected, and among us there is not the least difficulty in introducing any kind; our soils and climate seem peculiarly suited to the Bourbon and American cottons, and, so soon as the old prejudices in favour of black cotton soils, to the exclusion of all others for its cultivation, are removed, we may, we think, fairly calculate on rivalling American varieties, the produce of America herself, while our indigenous sorts, raised from similar soils, are often barely worth the trouble of gathering.